Telemetry of a Fallen Angel: The Fountainhead
by Delectable Ohm Shy
Summary: In the parallel universe, John Smith works as a member of Torchwood. Now someone else has come through the breach. At the same time, people start mysteriously dying. Is this new stranger the cause? First in a series.
1. Prologue

Newborough Forest was dark and her feet were bare. She stumbled on stones and slid on leaves, branches and thorns tearing at her arms. She had the look of prey about her as sweat beaded on her brow. Her breath came in gasps and tears filled her eyes.

Suddenly she was falling. She landed in a clearing on hands and knees and stayed there, panting, too afraid to move. Her entire body was straining to hear.

Was it over? She couldn't hear him following her. Had she really lost him?

Her answer came in a sudden explosion of dirt and leaves.

He struck her so hard that starbursts filled her vision. She clawed at him desperately, but to no avail. With an inhuman strength, he held her with one hand, his other poised to strike.

On the ground, her hand brushed something hard. She quickly seized it and struck the side of his head. He released her with a surprised whine, and she crawled backwards away from him.

"Please," she pleaded, "please don't!"

The man gave no reply. In the light of the moon, she saw his hands. The fingers stretched and changed shape until they were as long and sharp as needles. He came at her.

She screamed as the pain shredded at her.

In a few minutes the echoes of her screams died away, and the forest was again silent. But then birds began chirping and leaves rustled in the wind. Life returned to the forest, leaving the woman behind for the living to find.

A pair of hikers found her that morning, just as dawn's light was beginning to shine. 

"I'd put the time of death about eight hours ago," the coroner told the Inspector.

"The cause?" he asked. Inspector Thomas Wells had seen a lot in his 20 years with the force. The dead were still the hardest part.

"I'm not quite sure. She has some scrapes and bruising which appear to be consistent with her running through the woods. And here on her neck, these bruises were made by a hand. She could have been strangled. But then there's also this." The coroner pulled down the dead woman's shirt to reveal five small puncture wounds in a circular pattern between her shoulder blades. "I have no idea what could have caused this. Not until I can examine her further."

Inspector Wells nodded. Dirt and leaves clung to the dead woman's body, and dried blood formed small streams from the holes. He'd seen this before.

"Do we have an ID?"

"Jessica Lewis," the coroner said. "Her wallet was found on her. Cash and card still in there."

Again, Inspector Wells nodded. "I'll take over from here, then. Have her body sent to Torchwood."


	2. Chapter 1

John Smith looked pale as he looked through glass at what a few days ago had appeared to be the corpse of a woman. She no longer looked like a corpse. His face betrayed absolutely no emotion, save his constant frown, as his eyes flicked to the monitors. Her vitals would have been frightening, if she were human.

She had been comatose since they'd found her, covered in electrocution burns and a head injury. Now, a miraculous transformation appeared to have taken place. John had had one hell of a time explaining it to Jack. Healing comas weren't exactly how humans dealt with bodily injury.

Her electrocution burns were gone now. Not for the first time, John looked her over, trying to find some evidence of familiarity. She had black hair that came halfway down her back. Under strong eyebrows, her eyes had an epicanthic fold. She was short and thin and had a young, round face. If she were human, she might have been of Chinese descent.

John didn't recognize her.

James Lawson moved fast, disconnecting wires and removing the equipment from the woman. "Not that I don't believe you," his voice sounded over the intercom. "But you're absolutely sure she'll wake up? If you're wrong, then what I'm doing is killing her."

"She'll be fine," John said. "She's going to wake up very shortly."

James nodded in response and Jack continued to frown. "Remind me again how you know that?"

John half smiled. There was only so much an alien from a parallel universe could tell his slightly xenophobic to Jack, he said, "I know more than you."

Eight years in a parallel world, and he still expected the Jack he was talking to to be Harkness. John didn't like to admit how disappointed he was every time he looked at Torchwood Three's director.

Now done unhooking the woman from the various medical devices John had insisted were unnecessary, James withdrew to the hall outside with Jack and John. Together, the three men observed the woman through the thick glass. After a few minutes, she began to stir.

John withdrew into his mind to find the telepathic connection all Time Lords shared. His eyes glazed over.

Disorientation came first, which was understandable, followed by confusion, also understandable. What was less understandable was the panic. the woman in the room sat bolt upright with it.

They locked eyes, and she recognized him as a Time Lord. Immediately, John felt her close off parts of her mind to him. This made him suspicious. What didn't she want him to know?

Suspicion was a shared emotion. He could feel her questioning as she slowly got out of bed, her dark eyes never broke contact with his.

"/Who are you?/" She had a voice like a scared child, and spoke Old High Gallifreyan. This surprised John.

"Damn it," Jack muttered. "I was hoping she'd speak English. I suppose her ship would have a translator somewhere in it?

"I can translate," John said. "She's asking us who we are."

The two other men looked at John with astonishment. He ignored them.

"/My name is John Smith,/" he told the woman, speaking the same ancient language she did. "/These are my colleagues Jack Francis and James Lawson./"

 _ **Not Gallifreyan.**_ It was less of an actual thought and more of a realization. She was looking at John's two human companions.

"/A polite person would tell us their name,/" John continued.

 _ **Apprehension**_. Even if John couldn't feel her mind, he'd know - it showed on her plain as day. She shook her head, tight-lipped.

"She's refusing to tell us who she is," he reported to the others. "I don't think she trusts you two."

"But she trusts you?"

"Probably not. But I at least speak her language."

Jack sighed. "I don't like this."

"Ah, come on. I've interrogated plenty of people on my own. I know what to ask."

Jack looked at the woman again, clenching and unclenching his jaw. "Fine. See what information you can get out of her before we ship her off to Director Tyler."

"She should probably stay here."

"We'll see." Jack left and James followed suit.

John watched them go and then immediately turned to face the woman in the room.

 _ **Alright, they're gone. It's safe for us to talk now. Who are you?**_ he asked her telepathically.

Much to his surprise, the woman didn't answer.

 _ **What? What is it? I'm not going to hurt you, you know.**_

The woman looked like she didn't believe him.

 _ **Look, if you want my help, you're going to have to give me some information. Now, you're on the planet Earth. What are you doing here?**_

 _ **This was not my intended destination,**_ the woman responded.

 _ **What was?**_

 _ **That's classified.**_

 _ **Really?**_ Curiosity bubbled up in John, and he smiled. _**Who do you work for, then?**_

 _ **The High Council of Gallifrey.**_

 _ **Interesting. Doing what?**_

 _ **That's classified as well.**_

John's initial excitement was beginning to fade. He hadn't expected this much resistance.

 _ **Is there anything you can tell me?**_ John asked.

The woman considered the question for a while before shaking her head. _**No. The High Council will send for me soon.**_

 _ **Right, about that...**_ John scratched his head, wondering how to explain it to her best. _**You're in a parallel universe. The breach you came through closed up right after you came through. There's no way for us to open it on this end. The High Council probably doesn't even know you're here.**_

The woman nodded. _**I was wondering why it was so quiet in my head.**_

 _ **How did you get here?**_ John asked, wanting to avoid that talk just now.

 _ **I was... fleeing the Daleks,**_ she thought carefully. _**I was under attack. At some point I was knocked unconscious. My TARDIS must have found a way to this universe and taken it.**_

 _ **So you were fighting in the War then?**_

 _ **Yes. Where is my TARDIS?**_

 _ **It's here. And I'm sorry, but it's completely dead. It can't draw power from this universe.**_

 _ **And where is 'here' exactly?**_

 _ **It's called Torchwood,**_ John thought, glad to finally start gaining her trust. _**We're the first line of defense for Earth when it comes to aliens.**_

 _ **'We'?**_

 _ **Yes, well, I work here.**_

The woman was confused, but if John wanted to continue gaining her trust, he couldn't tell her about the events of the Time War and what led to his creation and exile here. Not yet, anyway.

 _ **Well, while we wait for the High Council to send for you, you might as well make yourself at home. You're not a prisoner here, despite how it may look. We just needed to make sure you weren't dangerous. Why don't you get dressed and I'll show you around.**_

* * *

While he was waiting for the woman to dress in something that wasn't a hospital gown, John projected his knowledge of the English language into her mind. By the time she was dressed, she could speak it fluently.

"So what did you do?" He asked, leading her down a hallway.

"Please specify."

"You said you were fleeing the Daleks. What did you do?"

"That's classified."

Irritated, John grumbled. "It's not like I'm going back. What you tell me won't affect me in the slightest."

"Perhaps."

"Fine, fine. Keep your secrets. But it's not going to make anyone around here very happy with you, you should know."

"Then it's good I don't intend to stay."

"Right." Giving up, John walked her towards the Hub for introductions.


	3. Chapter 2

"What's your name, by the way?" John asked, hand on the door. "I can't introduce you if I don't know your name."

The woman paused, eyeing him. She looked like she was conducting a raging internal battle. Finally, she said "Erida. My name is Erida."

Disbelief hit him fast, dazed and dizzied him. He looked at her hard. Was this really the face of a maniac?

"No," he said. "You can't be. You're supposed to be in stasis. You've been in stasis since before I was born."

"I was taken out of stasis to fight in the Time War."

Of course, John thought. Just like the Master. The High Council contracted criminals to fight in the War.

And just like the Master, she was a danger to Earth if left unguarded. John grabbed her arm and led her in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" Erida demanded.

"You're going in a holding cell," John hissed. "I was wrong before: you are a prisoner. Can't let you wander free, you're too dangerous."

"I can assure you I'm not. Let me go! I can explain!" She tried to slip free, but John was stronger.

"Not a chance. I know about you, about what you've done - all those people you killed." Down a flight of stairs into the basement, he dragged her to the rows of glass-fronted cells. "I refuse to let that happen here."

He shoved her into a cell and closed the door.

Erida turned to face him, angry. "You trusted me before you knew my name."

"My mistake." He began to walk away, too angry to stay long in her presence now.

"The High Council will come for me!" She yelled at his retreating back.

"And you'll be right there when they do!" He shouted back at her.

* * *

John got all the way back to his office before he finally let his anger out. He ignored his director - that talk could wait.

"Damn it!" he yelled, slamming his desk with his fist. All he had wanted was someone he could talk to - some tiny piece of home. Instead what he got was a murderer.

Angrily, he picked up an envelope left for him on his desk. It looked like their police liaison, Inspector Wells, had been there while he was conversing with Erida. He opened it, happy for any distraction.

Inside was a picture of the body of a murdered woman and a slip of paper. John looked closely at the puncture wounds, but the picture could tell him nothing that he didn't already know from the other bodies. The slip of paper turned out to be the chemical compound James had found in the surrounding tissues of the bodies. The formula was unfamiliar to him, so he turned back to the picture of the body.

She'd be in the morgue now. Her and the other three people who died like this in the past few days.

Come to think of it, thought John, these deaths started happening the same time Erida appeared.

"Damn it," he said again, storming out of his office with evidence in hand.

* * *

"Did you do this?"

Inside her cell, Erida stood up, glaring at the picture of the dead woman.

"How could I have done anything when I've been comatose?"

"These deaths started the same time you arrived. Did you bring anything with you?"

"No."

"So you brought nothing? Nothing that could have caused this?"

"I said no!"

"Then what is this?" he spat, showing her the chemical compound.

Erida stepped forward, considering it. "I'm not sure," she finally said. "It doesn't look naturally occurring to me, but I could be wrong. I can assure you it did not come from me."

"I think you're lying," John said. "I think this did come from you. I think that you sent it ahead of you when you crossed the Void."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you're crazy? I don't know, you tell me. Maybe you learned a few tricks from the Daleks and you -"

"I don't think I'm the one that's crazy right now."

John stopped. She had said it so quietly, so calmly it almost didn't register. He looked down at his supposed evidence. Had he overreacted? Donna certainly had a knack for it, and he had definitely inherited her attitude during the metacrisis.

"But you're a chemist," he said. "You're insane. You murdered all those people back on Gallifrey. You could have created this. It could be a poison. And you... you..." As soon as he said it, he knew he was wrong.

"It's not poison," Erida softly echoed his realization. "I don't know what it is, because I didn't create it. But if you let me out, I can help you figure out what it is, and maybe why it's killed people."


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you all who are reading. I hope you are enjoying the story. I will try to update at least once a week. Please let me know what I can do for you to enjoy it more. I love you all!

* * *

"So she's not dangerous?"

"No, she is, that's the point. She needs careful supervision."

"Well why even let her out at all then? If she's so dangerous, why take the chance?"

"Because she can help us."

"But didn't she start this?"

"Possibly."

"Well okay then. She stays where she is until her people come get her."

John hid his face in his hands to conceal his frustration. It was a circular conversation, and had been for the past 20 minutes. Director Francis, Dr. Lawson, and Inspector Wells were all in attendance, and it was becoming harder to not tell them the entire truth.

"Look, I can keep her in line. She won't leave the base unattended, she won't be exposed to anything we don't want her to be, and when she's not helping us, she'll be back in her cell."

The group of men considered it, until Inspector Wells spoke up.

"How exactly is she dangerous?"

"She's a scientist," said John. "It would take far too long to explain the rest of it."

"But we're 100% sure she's not the one physically going out there to kill people, right?"

"That's correct."

"Then I say let her help, Jack. Monitor her when she steps into Lawson's territory, but I see more pros than cons here, man."

"She could be lying," Jack said.

"Even if she is, what harm could it do? We're still right back here, looking for answers." Inspector Wells leaned back in his chair, putting his hands up. "There's only so much we can do alone here."

"And what about you, Lawson? What do you think?" Jack asked.

"I think it's a terrible idea. So many things could go wrong. We can't trust her. I can't believe you're even considering it! I mean, what makes you so sure, John, that you can trust her?"

"I don't, mate. But I think she knows it's in her best interest to help us."

"So it's up to me, then," Jack said. "It's my decision."

* * *

"So what do you think?" John asked after Inspector Wells secured her in handcuffs.

"They're restrictive and unnecessary," Erida said.

"Perfect." John dropped the key into his pocket and led her down the hall. "So, four human beings have died since you arrived. These humans, by the way, they think I'm one of them. I'd appreciate it if you could keep it that way."

Erida was appropriately confused by this, but John barreled on.

"Anyway, they all have puncture wounds in their backs and that chemical compound in the surrounding tissue. Fortunately, the deaths are contained within the Newborough area. So if you help us quickly enough, whatever you've done can be contained."

"I haven't done anything, I told you."

"Good. Then prove it." John held the door to the medical bay open for her. Inside was the body of one of the victims, accompanied by Dr. Lawson.

"She shouldn't be doing this," he said.

"If you're not comfortable with it, stay and watch."

"There's so much she could get her hands on in here to kill us or escape or - or blow up the planet, I don't know. I just really don't think this is a good idea, John. Please reconsider this." Dr. Lawson whispered.

While John made his argument, Erida walked over to the body, removing the white sheet to see the puncture wounds up close. They were small and deep, possibly made by a needle.

Tissue extraction? Erida thought. But surely there are easier ways, and none of them would require such deep penetration...

A chest X-ray of the victim's chest was displayed on an illuminator. Erida could see that the puncture wounds went straight into the heart.

"Was the chemical compound found in or around the heart?" Erida asked.

John and Dr. Lawson pulled themselves out of their heated, whispered argument to look at her.

"The heart?" Dr. Lawson asked.

"Yes. I would like to know if the chemical compound was found in the heart muscle tissue, or if it was only found on the epidermis."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, it was found on the heart until about here," Dr. Lawson said, quickly making his way away from John and pointing to the X-Ray. "It was found all along the puncture holes. Why?"

"It looks deformed. I think it was the result of an injection," Erida said. "Someone is injecting people with this chemical and it looks like the result is a cell mutation that causes death."

"What for?" asked Dr. Lawson.

Erida shrugged. "I don't know. It's not me that's doing it, and it's not my invention. If I could examine the chemical or the body more closely, perhaps we could all get a better understanding."

John and Dr. Lawson exchanged looks. "Fine. But you are being monitored the entire time. You've got two different pairs of eyes on you, so don't bother trying anything."

"Very well. Do you have anything more advanced than this?" Erida asked, pointing to the X-Ray. "I want to look at the body."

* * *

The 3-D holographic imager was primitive to Erida, but she didn't complain. The three of them crowded around the hologram, looking at the damage done from the puncture marks and discussing why someone would kill someone in this way. It seemed to John that they had hit the end of Erida's helpfulness when she suddenly noticed something.

"What is this? It's not natural."

"I don't see anything," Lawson said, squinting at where her finger was pointing.

"There, on the base of the skull."

John crouched down for a better look. It took him a moment to see what Erida had seen. It was a tiny, dark square on the hologram, exactly one square millimeter large.

"It's just a broken component in the imager," Lawson said. "It can't be anything else."

"Maybe," John said. "Maybe not." He turned from the hologram and began parting the victim's hair, looking.

"John, what are you doing? It's just a glitch - an empty space in the hologram. There's nothing there."

But John ignored him, reaching instead for a scalpel. He made a small, careful incision and squeezed out the object in question. He held it out in his hand for the others to see.

"What do you think it is?" Erida asked.

"It looks like a microchip. You should take this to Harrison," John turned to Lawson, who was already prepping a small plastic bag. He slid the microchip in.

"Well, looks like you were right," he said to Erida as Lawson walked out with the chip. "This isn't your doing after all."

"So can these be removed yet?" She held her hands up, needlessly reminding him of the handcuffs.

"Not just yet."


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Short chapter. Expect the next one to be meatier. :)

* * *

"Move, move, move!" The medics practically flew into Torchwood with the two gurneyed people. The man and woman were both strapped down and writhing in pain.

"Where were they found?" Director Francis jogged beside the medics, closely followed by Inspector Wells.

"By Newborough Forest, just like the others."

"We were... just... going... for a walk," the woman gasped before screaming. "It hurts! Make it stop!"

The party barged into the infirmary, where John and Dr. Lawson were discussing the microchip and its significance in what was happening with the attacks.

"Get prepped, we've got a pair of live ones!" Director Francis called out. Dr. Lawson immediately began to check the patients while John got the details from Inspector Wells.

"Apparently they went out for a nice romantic moonlit walk along the edge the forest," he said. "The man says they were attacked from behind, but he was able to pull out his cell and call for help. Medics up in Newborough knew to send them our way."

"Do they have the wounds?" John asked.

"Yeah, you find out what what's causing them?"

"Not entirely, no. But if they can be kept alive long enough to help us..."

"Then you best get on it," Director Francis said. "I want an end to this. I don't want any more of these."

As they were speaking, the woman began to vomit blood.

"I'm going to need some help here!" Dr. Lawson yelled.

* * *

Covered in blood splatter, John Smith made his way to the cells, where Erida sat in a corner with eyes closed, until she heard him approach.

"What happened?" She asked, taking in the blood and the tired look on his face.

" Two more victims came in," he said, rubbing his face. "They're not doing good at all, but they're alive, at least. We found more of that chemical in their wounds. It appears to be spreading."

"I didn't do it."

"No, no I know you didn't. That's why I'm here." John inhaled deeply, swallowing his pride. "Despite your past, I shouldn't have acted like I did. I'm sorry. You're not free to roam the Institute, but there's now no doubt you weren't involved in this. Care to forgive me?"

He could tell Erida was shocked even before she spoke.

"Is this a trick?"

"No, no trick. This is me being genuinely, honestly sorry for my actions toward you."

"What do you want with me?"

She still didn't trust him, and that was no surprise. He still didn't trust her either. If she was going to be picked up by the Time Lords soon, it probably wasn't the most important thing that he get her to believe him anyway.

"I need your help. I think this is an invasion, and I'd like you to help me stop it."


	6. Chapter 5

It was dusk when they arrived at the forest. John had driven her out alone, after sneaking her out - he knew Director Francis would never agree to letting her out to help. She was still handcuffed, and there wasn't really any place she could go even if she did escape. He trusted her, at least, to know she should stick with him.

And clearly she'd never had much interaction with species and planets outside of Gallifrey. The dull Welsh roads kept her attention. She appeared to be fascinated with all the different shapes and colors of cars. Even the fields of sheep and goats fascinated her.

John smiled. It was sort of like traveling with a child.

But she became all business when they reached the forest. John held the torch high as they made their way down the trail.

"Is this where you found me?" Erida asked, looking among the pine, spruce, and fir trees.

"No. No you popped out on Sully Island. Your TARDIS crashed into the bay. We actually had to dig you out a little."

Erida simply looked at him, and it took him a minute to realize why.

"Oh, right. You have no idea where I'm talking about. I'll introduce you to GPS when we get back."

They walked further down the path, where the trees were getting thicker. John searched the ground with the torch while he walked, Erida kept her eyes out for anything unusual off the trail.

"Well if I came through the Void somewhere else, it's likely that this invasion didn't start in our original universe. It must be a life form native to this universe."

"That's what I think, too," said John. "I know just about every intelligent species in our original universe and not a one of them does this. Well, not that I know, any way."

"So you think it's a life form that only exists in this universe?"

"Possibly."

"Can you smell burning?"

"Poss- no, what?" John sniffed the air, but could smell nothing.

"It's coming from over here."

Erida led John off the trail and into the trees. They stumbled up a small hill, dislodging old branches and countless leaves until they reached the top - the oddly gray top.

"It's ash," Erida said, testing it with a finger. The entire ground's been scorched. Look!"

"The trees, too," John said, pointing the torch upwards to reveal blackened and broken limbs.

"It must be the landing site for a ship, possibly your invaders."

"Must be," said John. "But where's the ship now?"

* * *

"Fan out!" Inspector Wells yelled, "And keep within shouting range of each other. I don't want anybody getting lost."

The group of police men and women silently acknowledged him before they set out into the woods, searching the ground, trees, and air for anything alien.

"Honestly, I don't think they're going to find anything," John said. "If there was a craft here, it would have shown up on Torchwood's radar."

"You sure about that? This one didn't." Inspector Wells gestured at the ash-stricken hilltop, where Erida was examining the ground for blast patterns. "Should she even be out here?"

"She's handcuffed. She's fine. She hasn't caused any trouble."

"Still, I don't think it's a good idea for her to be out here. I think the two of you should head back to Torchwood."

"Someone should be here if you find a ship!" John protested.

"I thought you said we weren't gonna find one?"

Having been caught, John shrunk. "Yeah, alright, you'll probably find a ship. They wouldn't just leave one of their own without an escape. But that's exactly why I should be here!"

"I'll be here. Lord knows I know what to do if we find the ship. You take her back where she belongs."

John began to pull a face, but Inspector Wells stopped him. "You brought her out. She's your responsibility. You can't just dump her with me because this is more interesting for you."

"Fine, fine," John said as Erida began walking back toward them. "But you call me if you find the ship, okay?"

Inspector Wells nodded.

"I can't identify any single burn pattern," Erida said. "It's like the entire ship was hot enough all around to burn anything within a few feet of it."

"So don't touch it," Inspector Wells said. "I'll pass that along to my men. You get her back now, John. I'll call you the second we find that ship."

Now dark, John left the now-busy forest, begrudgingly taking Erida back to her cell.

He was beginning to enjoy her company, he realized. Murderer or not, she was still a piece of home.

His piece of home was currently staring out the window at the stars.

"Looking for anything specific?"

"Earth's position in this universe, but the stars are too altered for me to make an accurate prediction."

"What for?"

"Just curious."

"A curious Time Lady? Never met one of those before. Well, yes I have. But just the one."

Erida turned her attention from the stars to John. "You are very strange for a Time Lord."

"Thank you."

John expected more out of her than that. Most people would say it wasn't a compliment, or play along and say "you're welcome." Erida did neither.

What she did do was glance in the rear view mirror and say, "stop the vehicle."

"What is it?" John pulled to the side of the road. Glancing in the mirror, he could see a tiny, bright light hovering a long distance behind them.

As soon as the car was stopped, John and Erida got out to look. The light was hovering over Newborough Forest. It stayed like that for a few more seconds, then without a sound it sped off up, up into the sky. In the blink of an eye it was gone.

John's mobile began to ring.

"Inspector Wells found the ship," Erida said, here eyes still searching the sky for any trace of the light."

"Yeah," John said. "Found it then lost it."


	7. Chapter 6

Erida was back in her cell, John had unsuccessfully explained himself to Director Francis, Inspector Wells had lost the ship, and the two living victims were weakening.

For having gotten so much done today, John felt like they were back at square one.

Most everyone had gone home for the night. Torchwood Three was empty, save for John, Erida, Dr. Lawson and his patients. John had had a few lonely hours to think this through before he approached Erida's cell.

They had to start trusting each other. And that had to start with him.

So he stepped up to her cell. She appeared to be meditating - probably in a light sleep. But she woke immediately when he tapped on the glass.

"Can I come in?"

"I don't own this space. You're free to come and go as you please."

As he entered the cell she stood up and held her hands out to him.

"No, no handcuffs. That's not what I'm here for."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm... going to tell you a story. About why I'm here."

This was obviously surprising to her, and John felt bad. This wasn't going to be a pleasant experience for either of them. So he sat down, and invited her to do the same.

"Back in our original universe, my name wasn't John Smith. It was The Doctor."

He looked at her, trying to gauge how she took that information, but neither her face nor mind were readable. She sat opposite him, silent. Like a statue passing judgement on him.

"I fought in the War, too. I, uh, I saw the end of it. I caused the end of it. They're all dead, Erida. The war kills everyone. Time Lord, Dalek, everyone died. But you have to understand, Rassilon was insane by then. There was no other option. So I -"

"I know," said Erida softly.

"What? How could you know? You're still fighting. This is your future."

"Finish your story."

John sighed. Maybe she'd tell him after he was done.

"Well, after the War I wandered. I made friends and traveled with them. One of them, her name was Donna. She's human. Before I met her, I regenerated and had my hand chopped off while I was still early in my cycle. Later, I was shot by a Dalek. I used my regeneration energy to heal myself and stored the rest in my severed hand. Donna touched the hand."

This, it seemed, interested Erida. She leaned forward to take a better look at him. He felt like a science experiment she was trying to figure out.

"I am one half of a human-Time Lord metacrisis. My body is totally human. Only my brain is Time Lord. And I'm exiled here for genocide. Davros survived the war and the Daleks were going to destroy all of creation. So I killed them. And then I - the Doctor, that is - exiled me here. That's why I'm here in this universe. That's why I'm on Earth."

There was a long silence in which John stared at the ground between his feet, fiddling with his fingers, casually dreading her judgement. Finally, Erida said, "thank you."

"For what?" John finally looked at her. The ghost of a smile played on her face.

"For trusting me," she replied.

John laughed. It was such a simple thing for her to say, but he was grateful for it, and told her so.

"Are you going to tell me how you know the outcome of the war?" He asked.

Erida clearly looked like she wanted to, and maybe she almost did. But at the last second, she closed her mouth and shook her head.

"That's classified."

"I'm in exile. I'm not going back. I don't even have anything to go back to. You can tell me. Please."

"You wouldn't believe me."

John laughed. "There's very little I don't believe. Try me."

He was winning her over, but she still had one last hesitation.

"You were so angry when I told you who I was. You're just like the rest of them. Why should I tell you anything at all? Nobody has ever believed me before. No one has ever trusted me."

"I'm trusting you now. If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have told you. Do you think it's easy for me to admit that I destroyed our world, our people? There's a total of two, maybe three people in this entire universe other than you that know what I've done. I've trusted you with my secret. Trust me now, please."

Was she about to cry? Erida's eyes had taken on a shiny appearance. Or was that just how he was seeing them through his own held-back tears?

Erida took a deep breath before speaking.

"When you looked into the Schism, what did you do?"

"I ran. You?"

"I had a premonition that Gallifrey would be destroyed in a great war."

"Really?" This genuinely caught John off guard. "I never heard that."

"No, you wouldn't have. The High Council decided not to release that information. They thought it might cause a panic."

"So that's why when I told you -"

"Yes. I already knew. I'd known for years. I tried to tell people. I tried to warn everyone, but nobody would listen. They assumed I'd gone mad. So I stopped trying to tell people and started trying to prevent it."

Now John got it. "So all those people..."

"They weren't the target. I had no idea the tower was so full. I thought the High Council was meeting in private that night."

"So instead of killing a dozen people..."

"I murdered 916. Yes."

John sat back and looked at Erida with a new respect. She could never be forgiven, of course, but something told him she had never forgiven herself, either.

"You can't change fixed points, Erida."

"Yes, I know that now. But I was young and stupid. I thought I'd been given this premonition for a reason. I thought I was destined to save Gallifrey. I thought I'd be a hero. I was wrong."

"Not exactly the thought process of a homicidal maniac, now is it?"

Erida laughed. "Not exactly, no. I never wanted to kill anybody. I just didn't see another choice."

John nodded. He got up with the intention of hugging her, but as he stood up, his mobile rang.

I suppose the hug could wait, he thought.

"John Smith," he said by way of answering.

"John! I need you to get here quick."

"James? Shouldn't you be with the patients?"

"I got a call about another attack. I had to see it for myself. John, this one's right here, in Cardiff."

That struck John cold. A shiver rand up his spine. "I'll be right there."

He hung up and held a hand out to Erida. "You're not a prisoner any more. Come with me."

* * *

They arrived at a busy intersection, which had been taped off. John and Erida ran past the police and an ambulance to where the new victim lay on a stretcher. She appeared to be unconscious.

"John! About time. She's still alive. Help me get her back to Torchwood."

"Did anyone see anything?"

"Not that I know of. The driver said she stumbled out into the street. He didn't have time to stop."

"So who called you?"

"I don't know. Anonymous tip."

This struck John as strange, and he was about to say so when Erida spoke up.

"No, seriously, shouldn't she be in cuffs?"

"She's fine. I'll tell you later. Come on. I've got the car waiting. Hopefully she can recover and we can -"

BOOM!

Everyone ducked as in the distance cloud of dust sprouted from the Torchwood building. They were too far away to feel the heat or get hit with the debris, but that didn't stop the panic. People began screaming, running away from the explosion. They ignored the two Torchwood members and Erida as the three of them stood in shock.

"Was that... ?" Erida began.

"Yes." John answered.

"But how?" Dr. Lawson asked.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "Good thing no one was ... oh no."

"What?"

"Your patients!" John screamed before taking off at full sprint.

Dr. Lawson ran after him, and Erida was about to follow when she felt a hand grasp her wrist. The woman had regained consciousness. With a shaky hand, the woman pulled off her oxygen mask.

"That man..." she said. "It was him."

"Which man? What was him?"

"That man..." she was beginning to fade. "That man... I saw it. It was him..."

The woman closed her eyes and Erida replaced the oxygen mask. Amid the chaos, Erida looked around. Very few people were running any more. Red and blue lights could be seen in the distance at Torchwood. Most people cowered in the doorways of shops, looking frantically at one another.

There was no way to tell which man the injured woman was talking about, or what he had done.


End file.
